Toledo Fire Department looking to hire recruits

Officials hope to attract ‘intelligent’ individuals

BLADE STAFF

Chief Luis Santiago said during a news conference Tuesday that people recruited now for the Toledo Fire and Rescue Department could be in a fire class by 2015, but a start date has not been set.THE BLADE/ANDY MORRISONEnlarge
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The Toledo Fire Department is hiring.

Officials hope there will be thousands of people taking the civil service exam on May 31 to create a qualified pool for the next fire academy classes.

At a news conference Tuesday to kick off the recruitment process, Deputy Chief Brian Byrd called firefighting the “best profession there is.”

The deputy chief said recruiters are looking for “intelligent” and “focused” individuals who have a “genuine interest in helping” other people. People who would be interested in a career where “no 24-hour tour is ever the same” might consider firefighting, he said.

Fire Chief Luis Santiago said the people who are recruited now could be in a fire class in early 2015, although a start date has not been set.

Deputy Chief Byrd said two city firefighters’ line-of-duty deaths in January does not appear to be a deterrent.

“More people seem so motivated ... to join this type of profession,” he said, calling the job an “inherently dangerous profession.”

Applications for the job will be accepted from midnight April 25 until 11:59 p.m. May 9. Applications are available online.

Applications also can be completed at Fire Headquarters, 545 N. Huron St. at these times:

● April 26 — 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

● April 29 — 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.

● May 1, 5, and 7 — 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Applicants must be 18 by Dec. 1, 2014, and no older than 35 on May 31. Applicants must also have a high school diploma or equivalent degree and a valid driver’s license.

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